It’s true. Women in America make less money than men throughout their lifetime; they constitute a mere 17 percent of the national legislature; and according to a new report from the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., only a handful of women has ascended to the top rung of the corporate ladder. To most Americans, these facts are neither surprising nor concerning. But to a certain powerful segment of our society, they’re a downright travesty.

For decades, feminists have belabored the notion of a “glass ceiling,” the architectural fiction that suggests women can’t get ahead in a man’s world due to rampant discrimination. Having exhausted this bogus argument, feminists are in need of something new to blame — and now they have it. The McKinsey report claims the real reason women don’t make it to the top in greater numbers is because of “inadequate career development.”

The argument is that women aren’t being coached properly at work and because of this, are stuck in middle management. To remedy this so-called problem, senior partner Joanna Barsh says companies should be actively grooming female leaders by providing them with mentors and leadership training that will, in turn, help women promote their careers. If companies don’t do this, she says, barriers for women “become insurmountable.”

But wait. Aren’t women just as capable as men? Aren’t they men’s equals? If so, why would women need people to hold their hands and show them how it’s done? Doesn’t this fly in the face of the entire feminist argument?

Women in America are perfectly capable of accomplishing anything they set their minds to. Those who want to reach the top can– and do. But feminists claim women are handicapped because of their gender and thus require extra support to get the job done – as if women are a special needs group.